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November 10, 2003
Republicans Issue Guidelines for Reagan Coverage Approved Nicknames Only; Be Careful with "Gipper" Usage Flushed with the success of knocking a mini-series about President Reagan off CBS, the Republican National Committee has released a set of guidelines for writing about the former president. The guidelines, which the RNC said are voluntary, seek to head off anything negative or critical about Reagan and his presidency. They also attempt to recall or soften existing works that might not portray Reagan in a completely favorable light. Among some of the items on the list: Every attempt should be made to spell President Reagan's name correctly. Avoid especially errors like "Regalone", "Regalman", "Raygun", "Reggae-un", "Raggedy-ann" and "Reeferman". The common misspelling "Regan" should particularly be avoided since it might suggest Regan, one of Lear's cruel and disobedient daughters in Shakespeare's King Lear. Worse, it might lead to confusion with Donald Regan, Reagan's chief of staff and later treasury secretary. Nicknames to be avoided: "Gipper" or "the Gipper" unless the context clearly illustrates an exemplary leader who inspires those around him; "Ronnie" only if it is used in the context of wholesome Christian family life and true American patriotic values; "Dutch" only if it is not used to connote the excessive liberalism among citizens of the Netherlands and their acceptance of homosexual lifestyles. "Dutch" should never be used to suggest Reagan was ever a "Dutch Uncle". Other expressly forbidden nicknames: "Reggie", "Ronnie Baby", "The Napper", "Slumber Man", "The Grenada Kid", "Mule Train", or "How Long until Lunch?" Librarians throughout the country are directed to either remove from the shelves or blot out offending passages in several books written by former Reagan staff members. They include: What I Saw in the Revolution by speechwriter Peggy Noonan and conservative stalwart, who describes Reagan's deafness and how he appeared to miss much of what was said in meetings; Communications director David Gergen's Eyewitness to Power, who wrote about how Reagan was unaware of developments around him and had an excessive hands-off style; Donald Regan who revealed in For the Record that after becoming treasury secretary he never met alone with President Reagan and never discussed economic philosophy or fiscal and monetary poilicy with Reagan one-on-one. The guidelines also direct librarians to remove from their shelves any book that mentions Reagan if the author is a Harvard University professor who also is a member of the Democratic party. "Of course the guidelines are voluntary," said an RNC spokesman. "We don't have the power to dictate what the media or Hollywood does. Last time I heard, nobody had repealed the First Amendment." Separately, the Fox television network said it is preparing "It's About Time", a one-hour prime time program about the guidelines. Copyright William Stockton & Smithtown Creek Productions |
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